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Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), a worldwide ministry of Anabaptist churches, shares God's love and compassion for all in the name of Christ by responding to basic human needs and working for peace and justice. ​

On July 14, a historic agreement to limit Iran's nuclear program was reached between Iran, the United States and five other nations. The agreement is a significant step forward for relations between Iran and the United States and a victory for nuclear non-proliferation.

Members of Congress will vote on the agreement in September--likely the biggest vote on issues of war and peace this year. They need to hear from you!

Policy updates

Colombia: Congressional leaders have been demonstrating strong support for the Colombian peace process in recent days. Rep. McGovern (D-Mass.) and Rep. Farr (D-Calif.) wrote a letter, signed by 65 members of the House, calling for more inclusion of victims in the peace negotiations. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus also wrote a letter to the president of Colombia to voice their continued support for a signed peace accord.

Palestine and Israel: Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and ten other members of Congress sent a letter to Secretary Kerry, raising concerns about the Palestinian village of Susiya, under threat of demolition by the Israeli military. For now the threat appears to have abated due to international pressure.

Upcoming events

August 24-28 will be a week to focus our prayers on the ongoing situation of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic, where many Haitians have been stripped of their nationality and live under threat of deportation. Stay tuned for more information from the MCC U.S. Washington Office in the coming weeks.

October 16 is World Food Day. More information from our office will be available on this soon.

Action alerts

Resources

Attention all high school students! Our annual high school essay contest has begun, with a top prize of $1,000. Details are available on our website.

Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery is a compilation of resources for Anabaptists about the church's past role in the oppression of indigenous peoples and what that means for Christians in today's world.

Staff updates

We had a busy July!

We were pleased to host MCC Colombia partner, Justapaz, July 10-14 for meetings with congressional offices and the State Department, encouraging support for the peace process and speaking about religious freedom and conscientious objection in Colombia.

On July 17, six students and two professors from Eastern Mennonite University's nursing program met with their respective Senate offices about health care policy. The students were from Virginia, West Virginia, and Hawaii.

Rachelle, Charissa and Charles enjoyed connecting with many of you at Mennonite World Conference in Harrisburg, Pa. Rachelle also attended the Mennonite Church USA convention in Kansas City earlier in July and spoke at Walnut Creek (Ohio) Mennonite Church on July 19.

On July 28, around 20 visitors from six countries traveled to D.C. as part of Mennonite World Conference's "Assembly Scattered." We met with the group and enjoyed connecting with other Mennonites from across the globe.

On July 29, our office and the Foods Resource Bank sponsored a congressional briefing featuring partners from the Choco region of Colombia. They shared about the effects of aerial fumigations on their crops and communities, and made recommendations for U.S. and Colombian drug policy moving forward.

Our summer interns, SunJu Lee and Matthew Hershey, finished their time with us on August 7. We are immensely grateful for their work this summer, and wish them all the best in their future endeavors.